This invention relates to a powder grain material control unit for stopping the discharge of the powder grain material and a powder grain material filling unit providing this unit with the powder grain material outflow portion for filling with powder grain material.
In medicines and foodstuff, powder or grain (called xe2x80x9cpowder grain materialxe2x80x9d in a general term) is existent in the past. Generally, in many cases, the powder grain material is dealt with by packing in a bag or a container.
A powder grain material filling unit as shown in FIG. 10 is one instance of the unit for filling a bag with the powder grain material.
This powder grain material filling unit 20 has a hopper 22 in the shape of a cone provided with a support frame 21 for storing the powder grain material, a drop guide cylinder 23 provided with the lower portion of the hopper 22 for guiding the drop of the powder grain material, a rotatable auger (another name is a screw) 25 connected with a driving motor 24 positioning on the upper portion of the hopper 22 and stored in the drop guide cylinder, and a powder grain material control unit 26 provided with the drop guide cylinder 23 for stopping the discharge of the powder grain material from the drop guide cylinder 23.
The powder grain material control unit 26 has a pair of plungers 27, 27 provided with the drop guide cylinder 23, and a switch valve 28 in the shape of a cone made of resin, for opening and closing a powder grain material outflow portion 23a of the drop guide cylinder 23, going up and down by these plungers 27.
When the driving motor 24 is started to operate so as to rotate the auger 25 after the powder grain material is entered in the hopper 22, the powder grain material in the hopper flows in the drop guide cylinder 23. But, the drop of the powder grain material is adjusted so as to transfer to the lower hand by the rotating auger 25.
When the plungers 27 of the powder grain material control unit 26 are not operated, the switch valve 28 opens the powder grain material outflow portion 23a of the drop guide cylinder 23, being away from the lower portion of the drop guide cylinder 23. The powder grain material P drops in a transparent vinyl bag 29, for instance, receiving the lower portion of the drop guide cylinder 23.
When a predetermined quantity of the powder grain material drops in a vinyl bag, the plungers 27 are operated so as to pick up the switch valve 28. The switch valve 28 adheres to the powder grain material outflow portion 23a of the drop guide cylinder 23 and closes the powder grain material outflow portion 23a so as to stop the discharge of the powder grain material.
Lastly, a pair of bag closing pieces 30 (seen as one in FIG. 10 since they overlap each other) approach each other from the front and the back of the vinyl bag 29 (the direction of the inside and the outside of the paper) so as to hold the upper portion of the vinyl bag 29. A pair of the bag closing pieces 30 are heated and the vinyl bag 29 is sealed by melting and adhering the vinyl to each other.
On this occasion, the vinyl bag is formed by closing the vinyl cylinder supplied enclosing the powder grain material control unit with the bag closing pieces 30.
But, the following problems are existent since the conventional powder grain material control unit 26 stops the discharge of the powder grain material by adhering the switch valve 28 in the shape of a cone to the powder grain material outflow portion 23a. 
That is, the powder grain material is held between the switch valve 28 and the powder grain material outflow portion 23a, then the space generates, then, the discharge of the powder grain material can not be completely stopped since the powder grain material continues to slightly flow from the space.
If it is used for a long time, wear and tear generate at the portion of the switch valve made of resin contacting the powder grain material outflow portion 23a. Then, the powder grain material outflow portion 23a can not be certainly sealed by the switch valve 28, so it is necessary to change the switch valve.
The sound of operating a pair of plungers 27 is the origin of noise.
The switch valve 28 and the powder grain material outflow portion 23a vibrate by the vibration of a pair of plungers 27 at the time of operating, and the portion contacting the switch valve 28 and the powder grain material outflow portion 23a with each other is shifted from each other so as to generate a space. Then, the powder grain material may drop from the space.
It is difficult to make the switch valve 28 the smaller since it is provided with a switch valve support plate 31 interlocking the plungers 27.
Besides, the powder grain material filling unit having the above-mentioned conventional powder grain material control unit which can not certainly stop the discharge of the powder grain material has the following problems.
The quantity of filling the powder grain material varies widely and the accuracy of filling is bad.
It is impossible to make the minimum size of a bag small since the switch valve support plate 31 interlocking the plungers 27, supporting the switch valve 28 is entered in the bag.
Since the powder grain material discharged from the powder grain material outflow portion 23a drops, hitting the switch valve 28 and the switch valve support plate 31 crossing the lower hand of the powder grain material outflow portion 23a, it is blown up in the bag in case of a transparent bag, so the degree of transparency in the bag 29 is reduced. Then, it is difficult to confirm the filling state in the bag 29 from the outside.
In case of a vinyl bag, the powder grain material being blown up in the vinyl bag 29 also adheres to the upper portion of the inside of the vinyl bag 29. When the vinyl bag 29 is sealed by melting and adhering the upper portion of the vinyl bag 29 with a pair of bag closing pieces 30 heated, it is hard to adhere vinyl to each other. Then, it is difficult to completely seal the vinyl bag 29.
For instance, the measuring accuracy of the weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the powder grain material is reduced by the vibration of a pair of plungers 27 at the time of operating, so it is difficult to improve the filling accuracy.
Then, there is the unit having a butterfly valve (not shown) for opening and closing the powder grain material outflow portion by a rotatable switch valve as the powder grain material control unit wherein vibration is few.
In this powder grain material control unit, the switch valve rotates and vibration is few, but the powder grain material is held between the switch valve and the inner wall of the powder grain material outflow portion. Then, a space generates, and the powder grain material may drop out from the space.
Besides, when the powder grain material is held between the switch valve and the inner wall of the powder grain material outflow portion, the switch valve may not be opened thereafter.
Anyway, the conventional powder grain material control unit may not certainly and speedily stop the discharge of the powder grain material since the discharge of the powder grain material is stopped with mechanical operation by adhering the parts to each other and then, a space generates between the parts for stopping the discharge of the powder grain material.
The object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material control unit for certainly and speedily stopping the discharge of the powder grain material with no mechanical operation by adhering the parts to each other.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material control unit having few necessity of changing the parts by making it such a structure that no wear and tear generates on the parts after using for a long time.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material control unit having few vibration and noise by making it such a structure that there is few vibration.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the small-sized powder grain material control unit with no member crossing the lower hand of the powder grain material outflow portion.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material control unit having no non-operable state by making it such a structure that the powder grain material is not held.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material filling unit wherein filling quantity does not widely vary and filling accuracy is high having the above-mentioned powder grain material control unit for certainly stopping the discharge of the powder grain material.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material filling unit wherein the minimum size of a bag can be smaller, having the above-mentioned small-sized powder grain material control unit.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material filling unit wherein the powder grain material is not hard blown up in the bag and the filling state in the bag is easily confirmed from the outside in case of a transparent bag, having the above-mentioned powder grain material control unit having no parts on which the powder grain material discharged from the powder grain material outflow portion hits during dropping.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material filling unit wherein the powder grain material is not hard blown up in the vinyl bag in case of a vinyl bag, then the degree of melting and adhering the vinyl to each other is increased so as to completely seal the vinyl bag, having the above-mentioned powder grain material control unit having no parts on which the powder grain material discharged from the powder grain material outflow portion hits during dropping.
Besides, the object of the present invention is to provide the powder grain material filling unit wherein the measuring accuracy of the weight measuring means for measuring the weight of the powder grain material is improved, for instance, so as to improve the filling accuracy, having the above-mentioned powder grain material control unit wherein vibration is few.
The powder grain material control unit of the present invention has a cylindrical filter cylindrically formed and a negative pressure chamber formed at the outer periphery of the cylindrical filter, having such a characteristic that the air in the negative pressure chamber is absorbed, and the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter is made more negative pressure than a predetermined so as to stop the discharge of the powder grain material flowing in the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical filter by attaching the cylindrical filter and the negative pressure chamber to the powder grain material outflow portion from which the powder grain material discharges.
The powder grain material control unit of the above-mentioned present invention is used by attaching to the powder grain material outflow portion. The powder grain material goes out from the powder grain material outflow portion and is discharged passing through the inside of the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical filter.
In order to stop the discharge of the powder grain material, the air in the negative pressure chamber is absorbed so as to make the inside of the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical filter negative pressure than a predetermined. The powder grain material is absorbed on the inner wall of the cylindrical filter so as to make a secondary filter layer by the powder grain material. The air of the powder grain material in the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical filter passes through the secondary filter layer by the powder grain material and the cylindrical filter so as to absorbed in, thereby the powder grain material is absorbed and maintained on the cylindrical filter side.
The secondary filter layer is the fixed layer of the powder grain material made at the inner periphery of the cylindrical filter, and the quantity of its airflow, that is, the powder of absorbing and maintaining the powder grain material can be adjustable by the quantity of absorbing air in the negative pressure chamber. Besides, the cylindrical filter is not directly contacted with the powder grain material inside the secondary filter layer by the secondary filter layer itself, and blocking does not generate as long as the airflow of the secondary filter layer lasts. Accordingly, the secondary filter layer is not the layer made by the blocking of the filter cylinder, but it prevents the fine grain of the powder grain material inside the secondary filter layer from reaching the filter cylinder so as to prevent the blocking of the filter cylinder and to improve the efficiency of absorbing air.
With the absorption of air, the powder grain material inside the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical filter is blocked at the inner hand of the cylindrical filter in a hardened state and high density state so as to stop the discharge.
That is, the powder grain material can stop the discharge and the powder grain material itself serves as a valve for stopping the flow of the powder grain material so as to stop the discharge of the powder grain material thereafter.
As mentioned above, the powder grain material control unit of the above-mentioned invention does not stop the discharge of the powder grain material by adhering the parts to each other, but stops the discharge of the powder grain material by making the inside of the cylindrical filter negative pressure, and besides, it makes the powder grain material, to which the discharge is stopped, do the role of a valve for stopping further discharge of the powder grain material so as to stop the discharge of the powder grain material with no mechanical operation, correctly and speedily.
In the powder grain material control unit of the present invention, the powder grain material outflow portion faces downwardly, the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter is made negative pressure rather than the predetermined so as to stop the flow of the powder grain material flowing in the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical filter, and it is made pressure which does not exceed the predetermined negative pressure so as to discharge the powder grain material in the cylindrical filter.
The powder grain material control unit of the present invention can stop the discharge of the powder grain material flowing in the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical filter when the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter is made negative pressure rather than the predetermined. And, the powder grain material in the cylindrical filter is discharged since the absorption with respect to the cylindrical filter is released when the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter is made the pressure which does not exceed the predetermined negative pressure.
In the powder grain material control unit of the present invention, by providing the powder grain material carrying means for pushing out the powder grain in the guide cylinder which guides the powder grain material and making the top end of the guide cylinder the powder grain material outflow portion, the powder grain material control unit of the present invention discharges the powder grain material by the operation of the powder grain material carrying means and stops the discharge of the powder grain material by stopping the operation of the powder grain material carrying means in such a state that the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter is made the negative pressure rather than the predetermined.
The powder grain material control unit of the present invention is attached to the powder grain material outflow portion of the top end of the guide cylinder. The powder grain material is carried in the guide cylinder by the powder grain material carrying means and is entered in the cylindrical filter. On the other hand, the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter is made the negative pressure rather than the predetermined.
The powder grain material carried in the cylindrical filter is always maintained at the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter in a hardened and high density state.
When the operation of the powder grain material carrying means is stopped, the powder grain material is still maintained inside the cylindrical filter in blocking state by the negative pressure so as to stop the flow.
When the powder grain material carrying means is operated, the powder grain material is carried and discharged. When the powder grain material blocking in the cylindrical filter is discharged, new powder grain material is entered in the cylindrical filter so as to maintain in this filter.
Then, the powder grain material control unit of the above-mentioned invention discharges the powder grain material held by the cylindrical filter by the operation of the powder grain material carrying means.
In order to discharge the powder grain material, the absorption of air may be stopped so as to release the negative pressure of the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter and the absorption of air may be reopened just before stopping the discharge of the powder grain material so as to make the inner peripheral portion side of the cylindrical filter negative pressure. In this case, the change of the negative pressure helps the discharge of the powder grain material by the powder grain material carrying means.
The cylindrical filter of the powder grain material control unit of the present invention has the filter cylinder in the shape of cylinder, and the inside and the outside porous cylinders in the shape of a cylinder for respectively holding the inner periphery and the outer periphery of the filter cylinder through the gauze cylinders in the shape of a cylinder, and many air passage pores through which air passes are formed at the gauze cylinders and the inside and the outside porous cylinders.
The negative pressure chamber of the powder grain material control unit of the present invention is formed between the inner periphery of the casing which both ends of the cylindrical filter are fixed in a sealed state and the outer periphery of the cylindrical filter.
In the powder grain material control unit of the above-mentioned invention, the secondary filter layer generating on the cylindrical filter generates as the fixed layer of the powder grain material made in the space in the pores of the inside porous cylinder and the space between the outer periphery of the powder grain material carrying means and the inner porous cylinder, and the quantity of air passage can be adjusted by the quantity of absorbing air in the negative pressure chamber. Besides, the filter cylinder in the shape of a cylinder is not directly contacted with the powder grain material inside the secondary filter layer by the secondary filter layer itself, and blocking does not generate as long as the air passage of the secondary filter layer lasts.
The negative pressure chamber is formed between the inner periphery of the casing which both ends of the cylindrical filter are fixed in a sealed state and the outer periphery of the cylindrical filter. Then, when air is absorbed, the negative pressure chamber is made negative pressure. With this, the air in the cylindrical filter passes through the passage pores so as to enter in the negative pressure chamber. Then, the inner space of the cylindrical filter is also made negative pressure. In the result, the powder grain material is absorbed in the cylindrical filter so as to maintain.
The powder grain material carrying means projects from the powder grain material outflow portion in the discharge direction of the powder grain material a predetermined quantity.
The powder grain material carrying means projects in the discharge direction of the powder grain material and is entered in the powder grain material control unit provided with the powder grain material outflow portion. For this reason, the powder grain material carrying means certainly discharges the powder grain material maintained in the cylindrical filter of the powder grain material control unit.
The above-mentioned powder grain material carrying means operates with low speed at the first and the last stages of the discharge of the powder grain material, and operates with high speed during discharging.
The powder grain material carrying means improves the efficiency of discharging the powder grain material by operating with high speed during the discharge of the powder grain material.
The above-mentioned powder grain material carrying means is the auger having the spiral blade formed at the central axis of the rotation.
The auger carries the powder grain material by the rotation of the spiral blade.
The powder grain material filling unit of the present invention has the powder grain material storing means for storing the powder grain material, and any one of the above-mentioned powder grain material control units for filling the powder grain material storing body with the powder grain material supplied from the powder grain material storing means.
The above-mentioned powder grain material storing body is the vinyl bag formed in such a manner that the intermediate portion of the cylindrical vinyl cylinder supplied, enclosing the powder grain material control unit, is closed by the bag forming means to be closed by heat, and the vinyl cylinder goes down, filling with the powder grain material by the powder grain material control unit, and the upper portion rather than the intermediate portion is closed by the bag forming means.
The powder grain material control unit of the present invention does not stop the discharge of the powder grain material by adhering the parts to each other, but stops the discharge of the powder grain material by making the inside of the cylindrical filter negative pressure, and it makes the powder grain material which is stopped the discharge do the role of the valve for stopping the discharge of the powder grain material thereafter. Then, the following effects are exercised.
The discharge of the powder grain material can be certainly and speedily stopped.
Few vibration and noise generates.
The powder grain material is not held in the valve and there is no non-operable state.
Besides, in the powder grain material control unit of the present invention, it is not necessary to change parts since there is no parts on which wear and tear generates if it is used for a long time.
Furthermore, the powder grain material control unit of the present invention can be made small since there is no member crossing the lower hand of the powder grain material outflow portion.
Besides, when there is no member crossing the lower hand of the powder grain material outflow portion, the powder grain material does not hard blown up in the bag in case where the powder grain material storing body is a bag. Besides, in case of a transparent bag, the filling state in the bag can be easily confirmed from the outside.
Furthermore, if the powder grain material held by the cylindrical filter is discharged by the powder grain material carrying means, the powder grain material can be certainly and speedily stopped when the powder grain material carrying means is stopped.
Besides, if the powder grain material carrying means projects from the powder grain material outflow portion, it enters in the cylindrical filter so as to certainly discharge the powder grain material held in the cylindrical filter.
Furthermore, the discharge efficiency can be improved when the powder grain material carrying means is operated with high speed during the discharge of the powder grain material.
Since the powder grain material filling unit of the present invention has the above-mentioned powder grain material control unit for certainly stopping the discharge of the powder grain material, the quantity of filling is not widely changed and the accuracy of filling can be improved.
The powder grain material filling unit of the present invention can make the minimum size of the bag small by providing the above-mentioned small-sized powder grain material control unit.
Since the powder grain material filling unit of the present invention has no member crossing the lower hand of the powder grain material outflow portion, the powder grain material is not hard blown up in the bag. In case of a transparent bag, the filling state in the bag can be easily confirmed from the outside. Besides, in case where the bag is a vinyl bag, the powder grain material is not hard blown up in the vinyl bag, and the degree of melting and adhering the vinyl to each other can be improved and the vinyl bag can be completely sealed.
Since the powder grain material filling unit of the present invention has the above-mentioned powder grain material control unit having few vibration, the accuracy of measuring a weight measuring means, for measuring the weight of the powder grain material, for instance, can be improved so as to improve the accuracy of filling the powder grain material.